Tyler Boyd is back to making the 'core plays' that have defined his career

[Arkansas Bengal]

Charlie Goldsmith, Cincinnati Enquirer

Thu, November 9, 2023 at 3:45 PM CST·6 min read

 

Last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, when the Cincinnati Bengals got the ball back with a six-point lead and 3:32 left in the game, head coach Zac Taylor made one of his most aggressive decisions of the year. Instead of trying to run out the clock, Taylor made the call that the Bengals were going to have quarterback Joe Burrow push the ball down the field.

 

Then, Taylor faced another choice: What play were the Bengals going to run in the biggest moment? He went back to an old favorite.

 

 

“We’ve run that the most since I’ve been here,” Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd said. “It’s one of our base high-low plays.”

 

Boyd sprinted down the field, cut toward the left sideline and created separation against one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL. Boyd made a 32-yard catch that helped the Bengals seal the win.

 

In a nutshell, the play showed what Boyd brings to the Bengals’ offense.

 

“Those are core plays for (Boyd),” Taylor said. “Plays he’s repped a thousand times. (That’s) the trust that’s there between him and Joe.”

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd's tough catches over the last two weeks show what he brings to the Bengals offense.

In 2023, the Bengals’ offense has found new ways to feature wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

 

Chase, the NFL’s most versatile receiver, uses motion to create separation and runs just about every route in the playbook. Higgins, one of the toughest contested catch winners in the NFL, is lining up more in the slot in 2023 as a way to create mismatches.

 

Boyd’s strengths aren’t as flashy, and he’s the No. 3 option for Burrow in the Bengals’ offense. This season, Boyd is averaging fewer yards per game than he has since 2017.

 

A month ago, it looked like Boyd’s role in the Bengals’ offense was waning. In Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, during a game that Higgins missed due to a ribs injury, wide receiver Trenton Irwin was more of a featured receiver than Boyd was. Most of Boyd’s catches early in the season were short throws near the line of scrimmage, and his role diminished as Chase and Higgins’ roles expanded.

 

Heading into Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks, Taylor made a point to call more featured plays for Boyd. He caught seven passes in that game, which helped Boyd build some momentum. Then over the last two games, in wins over the San Francisco 49ers and the Bills, Boyd has made four of the Bengals’ biggest catches.

 

With Chase battling a back injury and Higgins dealing with a hamstring injury, Boyd could step into a bigger role on Sunday against the Houston Texans.

 

Boyd said that he doesn’t feel any extra pressure when another starting receiver misses a game. He views it as an opportunity to show that he’s the same receiver who played at a Pro Bowl level earlier in his Bengals career.

 

“I might have to step up a lot more and get a lot more opportunities,” Boyd said. “I embrace that. I’ve been there before. I don’t shy away from moments. I’ll always be there when my number is called. I know what I’ve got to do when anyone is down.”

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd ran one of his best routes of the year against the 49ers to create separation on a touchdown.

 

Over the last two games, Boyd has come up with the majority of his highlight reel for the season. He’s back to making the difficult, high-leverage catches that have defined his Bengals career.

 

Boyd opened the Bengals’ win over the San Francisco 49ers with a touchdown catch on the team’s first drive. On a play near the goal line, Boyd was purposely slow running off of the line of scrimmage. Then he cut toward the corner of the end zone for a wide-open 7-yard touchdown.

 

Boyd created the touchdown with his choppy feet, precise route running and quick burst on the double move. These are the skills that made Boyd a 1,000-yard receiver in 2018 and 2019.

 

“All I had to do was stop his feet, and Joe just had to put the ball where the DB wasn’t,” Boyd said. “The crazy thing about it was (the cornerback) still played great defense. I just found a way to grab it.”

 

In the last two minutes of the first half of the 49ers game, Boyd capitalized on Burrow’s toughest throw of the season. The 49ers had three safeties covering the deep half of the field and a linebacker stepping right in front of Boyd in coverage. Boyd had defenders trailing each of his hips, but Burrow saw a 1-yard window and trusted Boyd to make a play.

 

“I just had to read if it’s one-high or two-high (safeties), read the nickel (corner) and find that hole,” Boyd said. “Joe put it there perfectly. They were crashing down. The safety played it well. Joe put that ball where only he can. It was either going to be a catch by me or a drop.”

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow showed his confidence in wide receiver Tyler Boyd when Burrow threw into a double team and gave Boyd a chance to make the catch.

 

Against the Bills, the Bengals faced a 3rd and 10 early in the game that turned into one of the game’s pivot points. Taylor called one of the Bengals’ bread-and-butter plays, with Boyd running a deep route out of the slot toward the right sideline. Boyd dragged his feet inbounds for the first down.

 

As soon as Boyd saw he had a one-on-one matchup against a safety, everyone knew where the ball was going.

“(Boyd) did a great job, kind of behind his eyes, catching that ball,” Taylor said. “That can sometimes be more difficult than you realize. He did a great job hauling that in, getting his feet in.”

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd made a 32-yard catch in the fourth quarter against the Bills that helped the Bengals put the game away. He got wide open with a great route.

 

Late in the fourth quarter, Boyd got the Bengals into field goal range on his longest catch of the year and beat Bills cornerback Taron Johnson down the field in a one-on-one matchup.

 

Burrow was so sure that Boyd would break open that he threw the ball before Boyd broke toward the sideline. On the receiving end, Boyd made an adjustment to ensure he got open.“That’s just a core play for us that our guys have executed a million times,” Taylor said. “(Boyd) knew, ‘I’ve got to flatten (the route) here’ and he knew where Joe was going to throw it. I can’t say enough good things about the chemistry that those two guys have.”

 

 

https://news.yahoo.com/sports/tyler-boyd-back-making-core-214548574.html

[claptonrocks]

Tyler Boyd has been the complete player

in all facets of his game since his arrival.

 

[|Montana Bengal|]

Ooof

[saphead]

He's so good but some of his drops are in huge moments of critical games. 

[New Jersey Bengal]

15 minutes ago, saphead said:

He's so good but some of his drops are in huge moments of critical games. 

Game should have never come down to his drops we have a way better team than the Texans no excuse for them to even be in the game

[Jupiter Fan]

41 minutes ago, New Jersey Bengal said:

Game should have never come down to his drops we have a way better team than the Texans no excuse for them to even be in the game

Ultimately the excuse for bad beats like this go on the HC shoulders,  just sayin.

[Cricket]

1 hour ago, New Jersey Bengal said:

Game should have never come down to his drops we have a way better team than the Texans no excuse for them to even be in the game

Our O-line is crap, which played a significant part in making Houston look like the better team today.
 

No 🥷

 

 

[Shebengal]

1 hour ago, Jupiter Fan said:

Ultimately the excuse for bad beats like this go on the HC shoulders,  just sayin.

You maybe can blame the play calling and preparation on Taylor, but I didn’t see him dropping balls that hit him in the hands or throwing into triple coverage. I didn’t  see him not wrapping up running backs and WRs and letting them getting a ton of yards after initial contact. 
 

There were just too many uncharacteristic mistakes on both sides of the ball. 

[Jungletiger]

5 hours ago, Shebengal said:

You maybe can blame the play calling and preparation on Taylor, but I didn’t see him dropping balls that hit him in the hands or throwing into triple coverage. I didn’t  see him not wrapping up running backs and WRs and letting them getting a ton of yards after initial contact. 
 

There were just too many uncharacteristic mistakes on both sides of the ball. 

 

What I saw the last 2 weeks from the defense, Marvin would have had them doing tackle drills all week.  hey are too obsessed with trying to get those strips.

[|BlackJesus|]

This play ruined my week 😣 ...

 

[UncleEarl]

Plenty of blame to go around just in the fourth quarter.  Burrow's interceptions were bad.  One bad throw, one terrible decision.  The tackling was atrocious.  Seems that Pratt isn't worried about tackling anymore, just trying to cause a fumble.  Time and place, son.  The Boyd drop was hard to watch though.